Ugh. Real-Life has delt the wife & I a crappy hand. Sorry for the absence, but I’m back. Not much of an article, but I wanted to be nice. First off, for the ultimate in trayfe wrongness, there are now Bacon Mints. Yes, you heard right. Bacon with a hint of mint. No clue on their kosher status, but I assume they arn’t. Speaking of bacon,. why is it the bane of our people? I know so many who will never stray from kosher – EXCEPT for bacon. Well, let’s get past this, shall we? Let’s create a dish that USES bacon, Kosher bacon, and have it be something that any Jew can eat without guilt! Yes, folks, he’s making BACON Kosher now! When will it end!?

Today’s dish is a Traditional German Bean & Sausage Soup, modified into Kosher form. It has turkey as it’s meat, so no dairy with this dinner! We start by cooking 4 Strips Turkey bacon until crisp, but KEEP the grease & fat that cooked off in the pan. Crumble up the bacon, and save for later, as well. Next, toss 1/2 Cup Onion, Diced into the pan with the fat & grease, & saute until tender & brown.

Cover the pot, and cook for 20 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Next we need 8 oz. Turkey Sausage with Casings, Sliced Thinly, 1 16 oz. Can Grean Beans, Undrained, and 1 16. oz. Can Great Northern Beans, Undrained. Add these to the pot with the crumbled bacon, and then cook for another 20-30 minutes, or until the sausage is cooked fully. Serve in bowls with challah for a wonderful meal.

This dish can ALSO be done in a slow cooker. Add all the ingredients into a slow cooker, and cook on low for 8 hours, and you will have yourself a wonderful meal. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy this nice twist to a traditional German soup with a Bacon taste! Until next time, Shalom and Good Cooking!

So, Jewlicious 3.0 is coming up soon! Join the party in March! Also, Waltz Pure Butter Shortbread Rounds is bearing an unauthorized OU symbol and is being withdrawn from the marketplace. Consumers spotting this product are requested to contact the Orthodox Union. Also, 365 Organic 5 Grain Cereal with Soy was accidentally maked Kosher Pareve, and it’s Kosher Dairy. Just an FYI, folks. In other news, in doing some searching, I found that my blog’s being mirrored on SUNY’s Servers. Odd… Could whomever is doing that tell me why they are doing that?

In food news, the 1st ever Simply Manischewitz Kosher Cook-Off in NYC brought on all comers, but Candace McMenamin won it all. As long as we’re in NYC Kosher news, the Kosher Food & Wine Festival will be happening at the Museum of Jewish Heritage on Feb. 26th @ 6:30 PM. It costs $75 per person or $100 per couple. Enjoy!

All this talk of New York in the news reminds me of delis. Ah, a New York style deli is a treat to enjoy, yes indeed! But, my favorite of ALL the delicious deli plates has to be Corned beef Hash and Eggs. Surprisingly, this VERY simple dish seems to be very difficult for others to cook! Go figure! So, let’s go over the easy, simple, and ALMOST impossible to screw up way to cook this, shall we?

We begin with 1 15 oz. Can of Corned Beef Hash. I also request people to read this article for a Kosher Corned Beef recipe! But, for those who don’t care about Kashrut, use what you can find. Anyhow, we need to pour the can into a medium-sized cast-iron skillet before breaking it up with your spatula. Now, we want to let it sit for a good 4-5 minutes over Medium heat, or until the bottom starts to get crispy. I know you WANT to stir it! Everything in your body says to stir it! But DON’T! We need to get it nice and crispy, but not burnt. Just as it starts to get crispy, Flip the hash over to the uncooked side, then push it all to one half of the skillet.

While the other side browns, take out 2-3 Eggs, and crack them into the pan. If you check for blood spots, crack them into a bowl, check for blood spots, and THEN pour them into the open part of the skillet. Cook the eggs to your liking, though I tend to prefer Over-easy, myself. But, as the eggs finish cooking, so should the hash. You can then plate both the hash and the eggs up for yourself and your family. Though I will admit a big guy like me can eat a can all by himself! I hope you enjoyed this simple recipe, and I promise I’ll have a better recipe next time. After all, sometimes its the simple things in life that make life worth living. Until next time, Shalom and Good Cooking!

With the Super Bowl this weekend, I wanted to share a few more of my favorite dips this week. And, since it’s almost Tu B’Shevat, ALL the recipes are Dairy (Since it’s traditional to eat dairy on this holiday!) First off, let’s look at a hearty protien-rich dip, Black Bean Dip! Begin with 1 15 oz. Can Black Beans, Rinsed and Drained. Pouting them into a bowl, use a fork or a potato masher to mash the beans into a paste. Once mashed, we want to fold in the following: 1/2 Cup Mayo; 1/2 Cup Sour Cream; 4 oz. Chili Peppers, Diced; 2 Tablespoons Cilantro, Diced; and 1 Teaspoon Chili Powder. Let it rest at least an hour in the fridge before serving with tortilla chips.

Let’s change things up from the bean dip to a Cucumber Dill Dip. First we need 1 Large Cucumber, Peeled, Seeded, and Diced Finely. Pat the cucumber dry with a paper towel, then set it inside a bowl. To this, we need to combine the following: 1 1/4 Cups Sour Cream; 2 Tablespoons White Wine Vinegar; 1 Scallion, Finely Chopped; 2 Teaspoons fresh Dill, Finely Chopped (Or use 1 Teaspoon Dried Dill); 1 Teaspoon Dijon-Style Mustard; A Dash of Hot Sauce; and Salt & Ground Pepper to taste. Let it set in the fridge for 30 minutes (But no more than 2 hours) before serving. As an added touch, top with diced scallions before serving with ridged chips.

Finally, I want to look at a classic dip, Spinach Dip! In a large bowl, we mix together: 2 Boxes Frozen Chopped Spinach, Thawed & Drained; 1 Jar Bacos (Since the OU made them Kosher!); 1/2 Cup Unflavored Yogurt; and 1/2 Cup Mayo. Toss into the fridge and let set for 3-4 hours before serving with crackers and fresh veggies.

So, I hope these dips give you ideas for the coming Super Bowl. I hope everyone has a good Tu B’Shevat, plants a lot of trees, and that US readers enjoy the commercials during the Super Bowl. Until next time, Shalom and Good Cooking!